DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a bartender, and I have a colleague I work with about four times a week. He is a nice guy, and we generally get along well, but there are some aspects of his behavior and work ethic that are becoming increasingly difficult for me to handle. While he is friendly and personable with customers, he often lacks the professionalism needed in our line of work. He frequently arrives late for his shifts, leaving me to handle the early rush on my own. This not only adds to my stress, but it also disrupts the flow of our service. When he finally does arrive, he tends to be unprepared and disorganized, which affects the efficiency of our team.
He also forgets about the basics of drink preparation and customer service. This results in a less-than-great experience for our customers and more work for me when I have to cover for his errors to ensure that our customers leave satisfied. Our boss doesn’t want to fire him because the bar is struggling to find workers. Should I try to work through this situation, or should I quit and find a new job? -- Work Ethics
DEAR WORK ETHICS: If competent employees are at a premium in your business, you should not have a problem finding a new job. That doesn’t mean, of course, that you won’t run into a similar situation somewhere else. Before you look for something new, talk to your boss. Detail what your experience is like working with this guy. As much as you like him as a person, his nonchalance and unprofessionalism are making it much harder for you to do your job and to ensure that the business does well. Give examples of customer dissatisfaction that have arisen as a result of this man’s incompetence. Urge your boss to look for a replacement for him.
If you are at your wit’s end, tell your boss that if things don’t change, you will be forced to find a new job. You do not want to bear the burden of cleaning up your co-worker’s messes.